Research Grants (Generic) | F17AS00253

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00253

This discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is a Research Grants (Generic) program award (CFDA 15.650, Research) offered as a cooperative agreement under opportunity number F17AS00253. The project is titled "Bumble Bee Inventory and Assessment of Bee Habitat at Northeast National Wildlife Refuges" and is designed to strengthen pollinator conservation work on National Wildlife Refuges across the FWS Northeast Region, with particular attention to rare, declining, and Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed bumble bees.

The main purpose of the award is twofold. First, it supports field-based inventories of bumble bees on selected Northeast National Wildlife Refuges, explicitly including efforts that can detect and document ESA-listed bumble bee species while using non-lethal survey approaches. Second, it funds a refuge-focused bee habitat assessment that builds on existing information by analyzing and interpreting results from prior "bee bowl" surveys, then translating those findings into practical management recommendations to improve or restore habitat conditions for bees. In other words, the work is intended not just to collect data, but to turn both new and previously collected survey data into actionable guidance for refuge habitat management.

For fiscal year 2018 specifically, the cooperative agreement is expected to fund non-lethal bumble bee surveys at four National Wildlife Refuges in the Northeast Region, covering a combined 586 acres of habitat. In parallel, the recipient will interpret results from earlier bee surveys conducted at 10 National Wildlife Refuges, using those datasets to assess habitat quality and identify opportunities for targeted improvements such as planting or maintaining floral resources, managing invasive species, adjusting mowing or burning schedules, or other refuge-appropriate actions that benefit pollinators. The overall conservation outcome is improved decision-making and on-the-ground habitat enhancement that supports native bee populations, especially species of conservation concern.

The opportunity is listed as open to unrestricted eligible applicants, with an anticipated single award. The award ceiling is $300,000, and the original application closing date was August 14, 2017 (with the notice created June 13, 2017). Because the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, applicants should expect substantial involvement by FWS in shaping or coordinating the project, such as aligning survey methods with refuge needs, ensuring consistency with agency protocols, and integrating results into refuge planning and management.

The legal authority for this work is grounded in several federal conservation statutes, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 (as amended), the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (as amended), and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Collectively, these authorities support federal investment in wildlife research, coordination, and habitat conservation actions that protect and enhance fish and wildlife resources, including imperiled species and the habitats they depend on.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Grants (Generic)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.650.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-06-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-08-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for F17AS00253

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